North Carolina.

North Carolina, known as the Tar Heel State, entered the Union on November 21, 1789, as the twelfth state. It is part of the Upper South as well as part of the Mid-Atlantic region. The state is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Virginia to the north, Tennessee to the west, and South Carolina and Georgia to the south. North Carolina has three main geographical regions: the western mountains (the Blue Ridge/Appalachian chain), the Piedmont plain, and the eastern coastal plain. The state’s economy is a mix of industrial and agricultural. Though production had declined to an extent, tobacco continued to play a large role, as North Carolina farmers raise a significant percentage of all US-grown tobacco. North Carolina has gained a reputation as a high-technology center, particularly in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill “Research Triangle.” Millions of visitors each year also come to enjoy the state’s natural beauty, ranging from the western mountains to the eastern coastal plain and the Outer Banks.